Celine Dion's 'Titanic' tribute steals the show at the Billboard Music Awards

By Clare Douglas

May 22, 2017

Celine Dion has proved that after two decades, her heart still belongs to Titanic. To celebrate the film's 20th anniversary, the Canadian songstress delivered an emotional performance of the Oscar-winning ballad "My Heart Will Go On" at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas on Sunday (May 21).

Dressed in an oh-so-dramatic couture gown by Stéphane Rolland, complete with full-bodied sleeves and a plunging neckline, Celine belted out the love ballad underneath an over-size crystal chandelier. Following the moving performance, the mother of three held back tears as she received an extended standing ovation from the audience.

Celine's mesmerizing performance was especially poignant given the special history behind the theme song. The track is one of many life-changing projects that the singer's late husband and manager
René Angélilencouraged her to do.

Prior to the show, Celine opened up to
Billboard about how the James Horner and Will Jennings-penned tune became hers. "I was in a suite with a piano at Caesars Palace. [James] started to play the song. With all the respect that I have for James — poor him, this guy is looking above us right now — he is not the greatest singer," she explained, noting that it was René who then stepped in to take care of business.

After René signed his wife up to record a demo of the song, Celine recalls, ”I wanted to choke my husband. Because I didn’t want to do it! I just came out of “Because You Loved Me,” and then “Beauty and the Beast” was, like, huge. Why do we need to break our nose?"

Celine revealed to Billboard that she didn't want to record "My Heart Will Go On."

Now, Celine is thankful that she listened to her husband and key advisors because, "Every night when I start to sing that song, I think, “Gee, what a song. What a moment.” I’m so thankful that they did not listen to me," said the star, adding, "I’m so glad that my husband said, “I really think that you should do that song.”

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